THE WITNESS OF THE SPIRIT
1 John 5:6-13
INTRO: We are living in an age that is filled with doubt. Very few people have any certainty of any kind whatsoever. 1 John was written to give us assurance. The Bible says it is possible for us to know that we’re saved. In v. 6, we are told it is the Spirit that bears witness. I want to talk to you about the witness of the Holy Spirit and I hope this message will be an encouragement to you, and I hope when you walk out of here you’ll be able to say, “I know that I know that I know that Jesus is my personal Savior.”
I. THE HOLY SPIRIT WITNESSES TO THE SON (vv. 6-8).
This is the HISTORICAL WITNESS. The Bible says that the Spirit of God is truth and He bears witness unto the Son, the Lord Jesus. The Spirit bears witness to the Son in a two-fold manner.
His Coming Into the World (v. 6). There was a heresy that John was combating in his day. They said that Jesus Christ was merely a man and that at His baptism, the divine Christ, came upon the human Jesus and was with Jesus through His ministry. Then when Jesus was carried to the cross, the divine Christ abandoned the human Jesus so that Jesus died as a mere man on Calvary. That is the heresy which forms the background for the statement which is made in v. 6.
John says the Spirit bears witness to the coming of Christ. It says here that He came not only by water but He also came by blood. That is a reference to the cross.
His Cleansing of the Saints (v. 8). Here is the witness of the Spirit to the cleansing power of the blood of Jesus Christ. Do you notice it says that there are three that bear witness, the Holy Spirit, the water and the blood?
This demonstrates that when Jesus died on the cross He dealt fully and finally with the sin problem. The blood means that He has dealt with our sin judicially. It means that sin’s penalty has been fully paid.
ILLUS: Back in the Old Testament there is a beautiful symbolism which illustrates the meaning of the blood payment. It is in the symbolism that was used in the cleansing of a leper. When a leper came to be cleansed there was a ceremony followed. They took the blood of the sacrificial victim and applied it to the leper. It was applied to his right ear, his right thumb, and his right foot. That represented the judicial cleansing of the man who had come. It represented that the sin debt had been paid. Do you know what they did with that leper then? They told that leper that he was to be washed in water. He had the blood applied and then he was washed in water.
II. THE HOLY SPIRIT WITNESSES IN THE SAINT (vv. 9-10).
“He that believes on the Son of God has the witness in himself.” That’s what I call the EXPERIMENTAL WITNESS, the reality of the Holy Spirit on the inside of you. Romans the 8th chapter says, “If any man have not the Spirit of Christ he is none of His.” Well if that be true then the reverse is true, isn’t it? If any man has the Spirit of Christ, he is His. The moment you were saved God, in the person of the Holy Spirit, came to dwell inside you. The Holy Spirit is in you to bear witness. Look at v. 9. “If we receive the witness of men...” The if there does not mean to suggest doubt. The word if could be translated Since.
Because the fact of the matter is, we do receive the witness of men. Every day you and I live on the basis of the testimony of men. We receive the witness of the doctor, the pharmacist, newspapers. He’s saying if we receive the witness of men how much more should we listen to the witness of God. I want to give you three verses of Scripture tied together here to show you how the Holy Spirit witnesses to three realities. The Holy Spirit witnesses to facts, He witnesses to faith, and He witnesses to feelings.
He Witnesses to Facts (Hebrews 10:15). Notice the prepositional phrase, the Holy Spirit is a witness. The Holy Spirit witnesses to you concerning the facts of the gospel. Every person who is ever saved has to have the witness of the facts of the gospel. You can’t be saved apart from the facts of the gospel.
He Witnesses to Faith (Romans 8:16). That has to do with faith for it is by faith we respond to the facts of the gospel and the Holy Spirit witnesses with us that we are the children of God.
He Witnesses to Feelings (v. 10). He witnesses in us, and that’s in the realm of the feelings and the emotions. Most people want to get that order reversed. It’s facts, faith, feelings. Most folks want to put the feelings first. But you’re not saved by your feelings.
ILLUS: People react differently at football games. Some sit quitely enjoying the game, while some get excited, shout, cheer, get angry, etc. Does that mean that the guy that’s making all the racket is enjoying the game more than the guy who’s saying nothing? No. It just simply means that people react differently, that our emotions and our feelings are different.
God is not obligated to give you any kind of feeling you’ve decided you’ve got to have in order to be saved. If you could dictate a feeling that you’ve got to have in order to be saved then that gives you the final say in what salvation is all about. God has the final say.
III. THE HOLY SPIRIT WITNESSES THROUGH THE SCRIPTURES (vv. 11-13).
Psalm 119:89 says, “Thy Word, O Lord, is forever settled in heaven.” I can say that I know that I know that I know I’m saved because of the eternal witness of the Spirit through the Scriptures.
The Source of Eternal Life (v. 11). That’s an interesting statement. “This life is in His Son.” EVERYTHING JESUS GIVES, JESUS IS. Have you ever thought about that? Jesus shows the way and yet Jesus said, “I am the way.” Jesus opens the door and yet Jesus says, “I am the door.” Jesus gives the bread of life and Jesus says, “I am the bread of life.” Jesus gives life and Jesus said, “I am the life.” Everything Jesus gives, Jesus is. It says God has given to us eternal life and this life is in His Son.
The Substance of Eternal Life (v. 12). There’s not but one way in this world that you can get eternal life and it is in Jesus. Everybody wants eternal life.
ILLUS: The legendary Bear Bryant once told a second string quarterback to go in the game and run out clock. The quarterback ran two plays, then throws a pass intercepted by an All American safety. The quarterback, who is the slowest man on field, catches him on 1 yard line. Other coach asked, how? And Bear Bryant said, “Well, coach, it’s like this. Your boy was running for 6 points, my boy was running for his life.” (Stories about Paul "Bear" Bryant)
I’ve got some good news for you . You don’t have to run for eternal life. He that hath the Son hath life.
The Surety of Eternal Life (v. 13). God wanted you to know, K-N-O-W, that you have eternal life. If you have believed (which means to receive by faith) on the Son of God you can know you have eternal life. When you receive Jesus Christ, eternal life is in Him.
CONC: How many of you are married? If you’re married raise your hand. How do you know you’re married. You say, “Oh, Preacher, I know I’m married. When we stood there in front of that preacher, oh I just had this tingly feeling all over me. I know I’m married.” Yes. And 10 dozen scrambled eggs later you may not have the feeling you had that day. You can’t prove you’re married by your feelings. There is not a court in this world that would accept the testimony of your feelings to prove that you’re married. The only thing that would be acceptable in a court of law to prove you’re really married is a marriage license. The only thing that will really hold up so you can know beyond a shadow of a doubt that you’re saved is the witness of the Spirit, the record of the Word of God. In the Bible God has given promises to you. He says “whosoever shall call upon the name of the Lord shall be saved.” You do that and you’ve got something to hold on to. God’s made you a promise. “He that hath the Son hath life.”
NOTE: This message is a revision of a sermon preached by my late father Ted Wood. It appears (though I can’t be certain) that he may have used Warren Wiersbe’s book "Be Real" for some of his inspiration.
